Selected quad for the lemma: son_n
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A60137
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The mourners companion, or, Funeral discourses on several texts by John Shower.
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Shower, John, 1657-1715.
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1692
(1692)
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Wing S3673; ESTC R25149
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101,466
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242
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endeavour to recollect after I have considered the extraordinary Instance of this Text where we find the Prophet Ezekiel is forbidden by God to mourn for the death of his Wife having receiv'd an express order not to testifie his Affection by any of the Funeral Rites and Customs of Mourning used among the Jews on the like Occasion Also the Word of the Lord came unto me saying Son of Man behold I take away from thee the Desire of thine Eyes with a stroke yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep neither shall thy Tears run down For the better understanding of this Passage you must know that this Prophet had for several years publish't the orders of God and denounc'd Judgments in his Name unto Judah and Jerusalem but without the desired fruit of his Ministry without the success of his important Messages and Commission The generality of the People applauded his Rhetorick but continued to do after the Lusts of their Hearts and the sight of their Eyes and would not hearken to his repeated Calls to Repentance or be awaken'd by the most awfull Threatnings of approaching Calamity Hereupon God resolves to take another Method and try if his Sufferings would not be instructive unto those to whom his Preaching had been little so The Prophet himself should be a Sign unto 'em and the surprizing Death of his Wife be made a Warning of what God would do against that Nation And his not being permitted to mourn for her should signifie the (a) Uxcrem nolo lugeas ut signisices in maximis malis con vacaturum Ipsis ut lugeant Grotius Extremity of that Judgment which would quickly overtake them and represent the Horror of their Distress that they should not have leave or opportunity to perform Funeral Rites or make a regular mourning for their Dead Relations The following part of the Chapter declares this to be the general scope and meaning of this Passage Wherein we may consider First The Literal Sence of the words in relation to this Prophet Secondly The Parabolical meaning of them in relation to the People of the Jews Thirdly The Practical Improvement of this Instance as to Ordinary Cases of the Death of Relations and Mourning for ' em The former will tell us what these Expressions signifie in themselves the Second what they were designed by God to represent to the Jews which will make way for what may be instructive from both whenever God takes away the Desire of our Eyes by Sickness or any other stroke Under the First Enquiry we may take notice of three things 1. The Title here given to the Prophet Son of Man 2. The Calamity threatned Behold I take away the Desire of thine Eyes with a stroke 3. The Prohibition in that case not to mourn or weep or use the ordinary Expressions of Funeral Sorrow First This Title of Son of Man we find given him almost an hundred times in this Prophecy That it should be given him as a Type of Christ who is so often called the Son of Man I know no sufficient reason to prove for that Appellation seems to have respect to his Mediatory Office as that true Son of Man or promised Seed who was to bruise the Serpents head and not only to be the Saviour of Israel but a light to the Gentiles and allied unto all Mankind Vnto whom all Power and Authority is given and all Judgment Committed because he is the Son of Man Joh. 5. It may either referr to his mean Original and frailty as a Son of Adam whose Body was formed out of the dust of the ground and must return to it which might help to prevent his being lifted up by the extraordinary Visions and Revelations God had favour'd him with that he might not think of himself above what was meet 2 Cor. 12.7 or count it strange that he should be called to so difficult a Service and prov'd by such an afflicting Stroke since he was but a Son of Adam Or the expression may (b) Cameronis Prelect ad 16 Matth. 27. import no more but simply O man which is usual in all Languages when a Superiour directs his discourse to an Inferior So Rom. 9.20 Secondly N. The Calamity threatned by God I take away the Desire of thine eyes with a stroke By a Plague or Apoplexy or some very surprizing more immediate Hand of God such as the First-born of the Egyptians were smitten with Exod. 12.29 where the word is used The Desire or * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Desires of thine Eyes as the Septuagint Translation renders it who this was the eighteenth verse tells us So I spake unto the people in the morning and at Even my Wife dyed 'T is manifestly supposed that she had many qualifications to render her Desireable and make the loss exceedingly afflictive otherwise the dreadful Calamity that was coming upon the Jews would not have been properly represented by it If the Spirit of God had not reckon'd this Instance to have been one of the most smarting and afflictive of all private and particular losses it could not have been fitly made use of here If the loss of a tender Parent or of a beloved Child or any other Relation had been superior or equal to this the death of some or other of those Relations would rather have been mention'd instead of this It may therefore be thought reasonable that when the Inferiour Priests were forbidden under the Law to defile themselves for the Dead save only for their nearest kindred Levit. 21.3 4. that the Wife must be comprehended thò not express'd Allowance being given them to mourn for a Father or Mother a Brother or Sister a Son or Daughter this Relation is much more supposed for whose sake a Man is to leave all others It were needless to tell him he might afflict himself in that case when it is granted as to the lesser and more remote Relatives The Margin of some Bibles would intimate it was forbidden unto a Priest being an Husband among his People to defile himself by Funeral Mourning for his Wife but it may better be read He shall not defile himself for a Chief man or Magistrate among his People therefore much less might he do so for any other save his nearest Kindred and Relations The general reason of such (c) Dr. Spencer de Ritiâ—us Jud. lib. 1. cap. 7. §. 2. a Prohibition seems to have been to keep up the Reputation and Respect due to the Sacred Office and Ministry which by being ordinarily present at Funeral Solemnities might have been lessen'd that he might not being a publick person and employed about the worship of God by any sorrowful indecorous Ceremonies disparage his Office or lessen his Dignity and esteem among the people for it follows v. 6. They shall be holy unto their God and not profane the Name of God i. e. They are peculiarly separated for the service of God and the Offices of Religion and obliged to greater strictness and
having their Brother speedily Recover'd did not proceed from Unkindness or want of Affection tho' there was appearance of them No he bore the same Love unto a sick and dying Lazarus as if he had wrought a Miracle to prevent his Sickness and Death 'T were easie to enlarge upon this Head but I must proceed unto the III. And Principal Observable in the Text The Import and Sence of this Answer And if it be remembred that the Sickness of Lazarus was Mortal there will be found these two General Propositions contain'd in it I. The Sickness and Death of those who are the Friends of Christ do bring a peculiar Glory unto God and the Redeemer II. This one Consideration is sufficient to quiet and support the Followers of Christ under those sorrowful Providences I need not spend time to prove how evidently these Truths are contain'd in this Answer of Christ which though given in a particular Case yet carrieth such a general Instruction as reacheth unto Christians in all Ages of the World 'T is granted that there were singular Circumstances that attended the Sickness and Death of Lazarus and a most glorious Miracle was wrought in raising him from the Dead But notwithstanding there are other grounds which justifie the general Conclusions which are drawn from the words In which 't is manifest as has been observ'd our Lord design'd to quiet and ease the troubled Minds of Lazarus's Sisters who had now a sorrowful Prospect of losing a beloved Brother And in order to this he thought it enough without mentioning his miraculous Raising from the Dead only to inform them That the threatning Sickness of their Brother was for the glory of God and that the Son of God might be glorified thereby This one Consideration when it sinds due Entertainment in and hath a right Operation upon a believing Soul is able to still all the disquieting Motions that Sorrow and Fear have raised there I have not design'd a distinct handling of these Two Propositions 't will be as useful to joyn both together in a plain and instructive Method And therefore shall 1. Give a short Account of the Glory of God and Christ 2. Shew how the Sickness and Death of those who are the Friends of Christ does contribute unto it 3. On what Accounts the Consideration of this hath such a quieting and supporting Insluence upon a Christian and after ward draw some instructive Inferences from these memorable words As to the 1. The Nature of that Glory which belongs unto God and Christ On which I shall only make a very few Remarks because it may be hoped that few Christians are unacquainted with this common Subject Glory in its general Idea or Notion is nothing but some great Excellence manisested and acknowledged whence 't is that it makes so very strong an Impression upon Intelligent Creatures and the desire of it hath so universal an Influence More particularly 1. The Glory of God is the Manifestation of the great and adorable Excellencies which are in the Deity both absolutely and relatively considered When the Virtues as the Greek Expression is 1 Pet. 2.10 of God are shown forth so as to be acknowledg'd and esteemed by his Creatures When his inflexible Justice and spotless Purity his unsearchable Wisdom and infallible Truth his Almighty Power and inexhaustible Goodness do shine forth and are set in a just Light then the Glory of God appears in open view Numb 14.21 God sweareth that all the Earth should be filled with the Glory of the Lord because he intended to display his Justice and Holiness in punishing and consuming the murmuring Israelites Thus 't is said Psal 102.16 When the Lord buildeth up Zion he shall appear in his Glory because that Work would manifest the Power and Veracity of God 2. The Glory of Christ is the shewing forth that Excellence which belongs unto his Mediatory Office accordingly when he wrought his first Miracle at Cana he is said to have manifested forth his Glory Joh. 2.11 All the Evidences which bear Witness unto his Priestly or Regal or Teaching Offices do glorisie the Redeemer 2 Pet. 1.17 3. It must be remembred that the Glory of the Deity is distinct from that of the Redeemer yet they are never separated from much less opposed unto each other 'T is otherwise as to the Glory of God and of a Creature these do often disagree and clash against each other When Herod accepted an undue Honour from a flattering Crowd this took away the Honour that was due unto God Acts 12.23 but the Honour that is given unto Christ doth bring Glory unto God Joh. 17.1 These two are so inseparably joyn'd together that they can never be put asunder Let us now enquire 2. How the Sickness and Death of those who are the Friends of Christ do bring Glory unto God and the Redeemer While our Eye is sixt only upon the dark side or Supersicies of this Object we shall be tempted to put such a Question as once Nathanael did concerning Nazareth Joh 1.46 Can any good thing come from such Evil Can so barren a Soil produce such precious Fruit as the Glory of God Can this dark and dismal Cloud send forth such a refreshing Light At the first view it seems dishonourable unto God when these Bodies which are his Temples are demolish'd and laid in the Dust This I say seems a disparagement unto him who rais'd and dwelt in ' em When these pleasant Plants which stood in the Courts of God are overturn'd this seems a damage unto the Heavenly Husbandman But notwithstanding these Objections of Sense 't is undeniably true that the Sickness and Dissolution of Christians do really contribute unto the Glory of God and Christ The Evidences which confirm this do relate both unto those Christians who are remov'd by Death and unto those who survive 1. With respect unto the Dying Friends of Christ themselves Their Sickness and Death do many ways bring Glory unto God and the Redeemer 1. The Divine Veracity or Truth is glorified by executing the Primitive Sentence which hath been given against all the Posterity of fallen Adam Gen. 3.19 Dust thou art and unto Dust thou shalt return A peculiar Glory redounds unto God when these Declarations which signifie his Councel and Purpose are punctually accomplisht As on the contrary nothing is more dishonourable in its own Nature than Falshood which is counted even by Lyars themselves an intolerable Reproach Compare Num. 14. ver 21. with ver 35. The Death of every Christian doth seal unto the Truth of God 2. The Divine Holiness and hatred of Sin are honour'd by the Sickness and Death of those Christians who have provok'd the Anger of God though they die in Peace We have memorable Instances in Moses in Josiah and the Corinthian Christians some of whom were cut off by Death though not Condemned with the World 1 Cor. 11.30 32. Concerning Moses we read that by his unadvised Language he offended God At